Coco Gauff's dream of a first Wimbledon title were ended after an unforgettable three-set battle with Karolina Muchova at the All England club on Thursday.
In a rollercoaster clash on Centre Court, the American seventh seed fought back from a dreadful first set to level the scores in style, only to then lose an epic decider as Muchova secured a 6-2, 1-6, 7-6 victory.
With Marta Kostyuk and Linda Noskova contesting the other semi-final, it is guaranteed that for the ninth successive year there will be a new player lifting the Venus Rosewater Dish in Saturday's showpiece.
Since Serena Williams won the last of her seven titles in 2016, there has been a long list of first-time champions and 2026 has maintained that trend.
The first set was a triumph for Muchova, who has now reached the last four in all four Grand Slams, and a disaster for Gauff after 12 unforced errors from the 22-year-old who cut a dejected figure as she stormed off court following 39 frustrating minutes.
Whatever pep-talk she gave herself during the break, it was a more aggressive yet more controlled Gauff who emerged in the second, converting her first break – at the ninth time of asking – before powering through the set to level the scores and set up a decider.
The third went with service all the way through to the tiebreak in what had turned into an epic battle between the pair only for Muchova to seemingly take control and move 4-1 and 6-3 ahead. But Gauff was not giving up without a fight with the level of quality from both players hitting outrageous levels as the American drew level again at 6-6.
And it looked like Gauff was heading to the final as she served for the match and then had an open court to place a drop-shot winner, only to fluff the chance with a shot that will give her nightmares for the next few days. Minutes later, she would put a backhand into the net handing Muchova a 12-10 victory in the tiebreak ending what had been a classic Wimbledon contest.
“It sounds really nice to be in a final,” said the Czech 11th seed who was playing her first match on the famous court. “Honestly, was such a big fight. Was a rollercoaster. Was up and down. Match point and then match point down. You don't have time to think.
“It was very nerve-wrecking. I don't even know what I'm saying, I'm shaking and trying to sink it in. The atmosphere here was indescribable, thank you everyone who came and supported us.
“There is so many of us tennis players and not many of us get to play on this court. It is such a history of our sport, so it is very special. We came to warm up here with Linda [Noskova] before the semis so I took a photo, so nice moment to experience this and this court is beautiful.”
Even reaching the last four had been a surprise to two-time Grand Slam winner Gauff having previously never been beyond Round 4 at the tournament.
“If you told me I would be in the semis … I'd be, 'You're funny'. Especially … the last two years not winning anything on here,” said Gauff, who famously defeated the great Venus Williams in the first round as a 15-year-old schoolgirl back in 2019, ahead of taking on Muchova.
“Do I feel like Wimbledon is part of my destiny? If you asked me seven days ago, the answer would have been no. Honestly, I was writing it off a little bit.
“But I hope it is part of my destiny, whether it's this year or in the future. I definitely would love to see my name on the champions' wall, for sure.” As it turns out, it will be at least another year before Gauff gets the chance to try to make that happen.
